The transfer portal period may be condensed this year to only a 15-day window, but that does not mean the fireworks are any less dazzling. On Tuesday, NU Hockey Blog broke the news that Northeastern will be committing three players out of the portal to play for them in 2026-27.
Marques is a 5-foot-11, 190 pound right-shot winger who hails from Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. He played one season at Maine after CHL players became eligible for college hockey. In 33 games, he scored 23 points (10 goals), with 49 shots on goal, a +12 rating, and averaging over 13 minutes of ice time. He was fourth on Maine in scoring and goals, tied for second in assists. Prior to Maine he played three full seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League, scoring 112 points in 106 games in his final two seasons. His career high was 74 points (28 goals) in 67 games in 2023-24, and he was on pace to break that mark in his final WHL season (38 points in 29 games) before suffering a season-ending upper body injury. Marques was a third round selection by Nashville in the 2024 NHL Draft. He also represented Canada in the 2022 U17 World Hockey Championship.
Marques oozes offensive skill and his game is predicated on a combination of puck skills and a strong shot. He can drive play with his offensive talents, as evident by 20 of his 23 points last year being primary points, and 8 of them being on the powerplay. He averaged about 3 shot attempts per game, completed 84% of his passes, and was second on Maine with 65 scoring chances per InStat data. Maine played to a +8 shot differential when he was on the ice. Another intangible of Marques’ game is confidence and swagger that some may call “feisty” on the ice– he is not afraid to stand up for himself on the ice, though it will be important for him to keep it in check to avoid any unnecessary penalties. He did well last year, taking only 9 minor penalties all year.
Ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, Elite Prospects’ draft guide said of Marques: “Name an offensive skill, Marques brings it. He manipulates defenders to open passing lanes, connects with backhand passes through impossible lanes, starts passing plays, breaks ankles, and snipes with textbook curl-and-drag shots. He constantly presses the inside, but knows when to cut back or pop the puck back to the trailer for a better look.” Maine head coach Ben Barr added in November after the season started: “He just has a really smart offensive mind for the game. He always finds a way to be where the puck is around the net, and it goes in. I still think there’s a long ways for him to get better, which is pretty cool when you think about it. He’s already producing at a pretty high level.” He was rated a 4.5-star recruit by PuckPreps when he committed to Maine.
Marques projects to fill the offensive hole created with Dylan Hryckowian signing his entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars. He should slide right into the open slot on the right wing, and right now we project him to be on the top line. We won’t even get into line combinations yet but Marques is someone we expect to see with the puck on his stick quite a bit next year, and hopefully getting it into the back of the net.
Congratulations and welcome to Miguel!
As always, go Huskies!
